Framing construction



April 28, 1942- F. VIWILSON, JR., ETAL 2,281,402,

FRAMING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 12, 1939 Q e N YINVENTORS v FRANC/S V4UX W/LSOMJR, BY JOHN MVGERMOND.

ATTORNEY Fig.2.

Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNETED STATES PATENT @iFFlCE FRAMING CONSTRUCTION Jersey Application October 12, 1939, Serial No. 299,952

3 Claims.

This invention relates to wooden building constructions having doors, windows and other Wall openings therein and particularly to structures embodying framing for such openings and methods of assembling the same to permit ready application of wall board, sheets or Panels thereto.

In the construction oi buildings it is usual practice to erect the studding for the walls leaving a space for the door or window framing to be built in. The framing is built in later and includes jamb studs which are secured to the studs located on opposite sides of the opening and usually referred to as through studs. A lintel is secured to the jamb studs so that it rests upon the upper ends thereoi and extends from one through stud to the other. In order to secure the lintel in place cripples or other spacing meml ers are located between the lintel and the top plate or other upper member of the construction. When framing a window a sill member also is extended from one through stud to another adjacent the lower ends of the jamb studs and is supported by cripples or sill supports.

While this method of construction is convenient for use in erecting buildings of conventional type it is not adapted for use in constructing partially or wholly prefabricated wall sections adapted to be assembled in the erection of a building. In constructing such wall sections it is usually desirable if not actually necessary to construct and position the framing for the wall openings before locating the studs of the Wall section in place. For this reason prior methods of framing door and window openings are not generally satisfactory for use in forming prefabricated wall sections.

t has also been usual practice heretofore to locate the cripples at the ends of the lintel and sill adjacent the through studs. However when applying wall board or the like to wooden buildings the edges of the sheets are usually extended to the center lines of studs so that the edges of adjacent sheets may be secured thereto. If the edge of a sheet is positioned adjacent the center line of a through stud at one edge of the frame for a door or window a narrow space is left between the center line of the through stud and the inner face of the jamb stud so that it is necessary to cut the wall board or use irregularly shaped pieces about the door or window openings to fill this narrow space. On the other hand if the sheet is placed with its edge on the center lines of the jamb stud and cripples and is not brought flush with the inner face of the jamb stud an irregular edge is formed about the opening resulting in a drafty construction which is hard to insulate and is generally considered to be evidence of poor workmanship. It has not been the practice heretofore to locate the edge of the sheet iiush with the inner face of the jamb stud for the reason that the edge of the sheet adjacent the cripples would then be unsupported.

In order to overcome these difiiculties and objections to constructions of the prior art the present invention provides framing for wall openings and prefabricated building sections embodying such framing, wherein the elements of the construction are so arranged as to permit ready assembly thereof and insure proper support and economical application of wall board to such construction. Preferably the framing includes jamb studs and cripples with the cripples positioned so that the center lines thereof are in alignment with the inner face of the jamb studs. With such constructions wall board may be applied to the framing and to structures embodying the same with the edge of the wall board flush with the inner face of the jamb stud and yet located on the center line of the cripples. In this way a finished, tight construction is provided and the wall board fully supported at its edges. As hereinafter brought out this construction also permits economical utilization of wall board and results in a saving in time, labor and materials.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel type of framing for wall openings such as doors and windows adapted to be assembled with other elements in the construction of prefabricated wall sections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a framing structure for wall openings which permits the application of wall boards, sheet material or panelling thereto without the use of irregular pieces so that considerable time, labor and material is saved in the application of the wall board to structures having wall openings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel method of forming prefabricated Wall sections having wall openings therein and a novel method of applying wall board thereto.

These and other features and objects of our invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the figures of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a typical prefabricated wall section having a door and a window opening therein and having wall board applied thereto, a portion of the wall board being removed to show the framing more clearly, and

Fig. 2 is a reduced view of the reverse side of the section of Fig. 1.

The wall section illustrated is of the type described and claimed in copending application Serial Number 286,840, filed July 27, 1939, and embodies a top plate 2, a bottom plate 4 and an intersection sub-assembly 6 formed with an outer stud 8 and an inner stud [0. Intermediate members l2 are located between the studs 8 and I and project therefrom to insure proper positioning of the wall section with respect to other wall sections used in the erection of a building.

The section includes a window opening I4 and a door opening IS with framing for the openings. The framing for the window opening l4 includes the spaced through studs I8 on opposite sides of the opening and jamb studs secured to the through studs. The jamb studs as shown are secured directly to the through studs but they may be spaced therefrom by shims, blocking or other means to space them properly with respect to the through studs so that they will be positioned to receive the usual window frame. A lintel 22 extends from one through stud to the other and rests upon the upper ends of the jamb studs whereas a sill 24 is located adjacent the lower ends of the jamb studs. The head and sill cripples extend from the lintel 22 to the top plate 2 and from the sill 24 to the bottom plate 4.

In forming and assembling the framing for a door opening IS the construction and arrangement of parts is similar to that used in forming the window framing but, of course no sill or sill cripples are used. However, when the door opening is located adjacent an end wall section as shown the inner stud ill of the intersection sub-assembly 6 serves as the through stud to which the jamb stud 26 of the door framing is secured.

In order to permit the wall board 28 to be located with an edge thereof flush with the inner faces 39 of the jamb studs and yet leave a portion of the head and sill cripples exposed to support the edge of another piece of wall board, the end head cripples 32 and the end sill cripples 34 are spaced from the adjacent through studs and are positioned so that the center lines thereof are in line with the inner faces of the jamb studs. One or more center cripples 36 may be used to strengthen the lintel and sill but the location of these cripples is not important to the present invention.

Prefabricated wall sections embodying the present invention also include an end stud 38 and additional studs 40 spaced from the through studs on opposite sides of the framing for the wall openings to provide the necessary strength for the section and to provide additional surfaces for supporting the wall board.

In forming such sections the top and bottom plates 2 and 4 of the section are placed on a table or support and the end stud 38 and subassembly 5 are placed so that the upper and lowor ends thereof abut the top and bottom plates. The framing for the openings including the through studs, jamb studs and lintel and in the case of a window also including the sill, are constructed and assembled so as to be placed in the section as a unit with the ends of the through studs abutting the top and bottom plates. When the framing includes an intersection sub-assembly as shown, the framing and sub-assembly are located in place as a unit. Thereafter the cripples are placed in position between the lintels and top plate and between the sill and the bottom plate and are arranged so that the end cripples 32 and 34 have their center lines in line with the inner faces 30 of the jamb studs. The additional studs 40 are then inserted on 16" centers starting from the end stud 38 and from the door framing or other opposite end structure and working toward the center or window framing. The elements are then secured in place and it will be noted that the end head and sill cripples can be nailed in place directly through the lintel and sill since they are spaced from the jamb studs.

In applying wall board to the section and particularly when using large sheets of wall board obtainable in sizes up to 8 by 14 feet or larger the present invention serves to permit extensive savings in time, labor and material for the reason that the sheet used on the inner face of the section is usually formed in one single piece presenting a seamless surface as shown at 50 in Fig. 2. The window opening is cut out of the sheet producing a section of material exactly the width of the window opening and usually long enough to cut into pieces designated 52 and 54 adapted to fit above and below the window on the outer face of the section. The outer face of the section is usually covered with shingles, clapboard or other finishing material so that the formation of seams therein is not objectionable. Thus a wall section may be produced wherein the inner face presents a seamless surface and the outer face presents a surface made up of large and regularly cut sheets together with pieces produced in cutting the window opening from the inner sheet of material.

In this method of fabrication the inner sheet of material (applied to the rear of the section of Fig. l) is secured to the studding and framing and the door and window openings cut therefrom either before or after the sheet is applied to the section. Thereafter the frame is inverted on the fabricating support and the edge 42 of the sheet 28 is placed flush with the inner face 30 of the jamb stud of the door framing and on the center line of the end head cripple 32 above the door lintel 44 so as to be secured firmly in place and produce a tight neat construction. The sheet is cut so that the opposite edge 46 thereof is flush with the inner face 30 of the jamb stud on the right hand side of the window framing as seen in the drawing. The upper and lower portions of the edges of the sheet then lie on the center lines of the adjacent end and sill cripples. Another sheet may be placed with the edge thereof adjacent the inner face of the jamb stud on the opposite side of the opening and the space above the window opening may be covered by the piece 52 of Fig. 2 while the space below the window opening is covered by the piece 54 produced in forming the window opening in the single sheet applied to the opposite side of the section. This construction renders it possible to form the sheets 28 and 60 in one operation by cutting a large sheet of material along a single straight line to form portions having the straight edges 46 and 62 which fit flush with the inner faces of the jamb studs and lie on the center lines of the head and sill cripples above and below the wall opening. Thus, by a single cutting of the material along a straight line and by a single cutting of the material removed from the continuous sheet applied to the opposite face of the framing, all of the operations necessary to form the wall covering sheets for the outer face of the section are effected. This method of arranging the framing elements and applying the wall forming material simplifies and saves many operations which have been necessary heretofore in the fabricating of wall sections and avoids waste of material which would otherwise result in the cutting of the sheets.

The wall section after being fabricated is trans ported to the building site and assembled with other sections in the erection of a building. After the wall section is in place and secured in position the portion at of the bottom plate l between the jamb studs of the door is out out leaving the doorway unobstructed. However this portion is useful during construction and transportation of the section to the building site in that it holds the lower end of the sub-assembly 6 and other parts of the section firmly in position.

The wall sections are each constructed from the plans of the building to be erected and therefore each section may differ from all others in the arrangement, size, shape and number of doors and windows or other wall openings therein. Therefore it should be understood that the particular wall section shown in the drawing is simply illustrative of constructions embodying the present invention and is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A method of constructing a prefabricated wall section having a wall opening therein and adapted to be assembled with other wall sections in the erection of a building, comprising the steps of arranging framing members about said opening so that the center line of cripples above said opening are in line with the inner surface of jamb studs on opposite sides of said opening, applying a single continuous sheet of wall forming material to one face of the framing, cutting said continuous sheet of material along lines adjacent the inner surfaces of the jamb studs and adjacent the upper and lower edges of the opening to leave said opening unobstructed and to form a piece of material equal in width to the distance between the center lines of said cripples, applying a portion of the piece of material so removed to the opposite face of said framing above the opening so that the edges thereof lie on the center lines of said cripples, cutting another sheet of wall forming material along a single straight line to form a straight edge on each portion thereof and securing said portions to the opposite face of said framing with said straight edges flush with the inner surfaces of said jamb studs and extending along the center lines of said cripples adjacent the edges of the material removed from the sheet applied to the opposite face of the framing.

2. A prefabricated building section comprising framing formed of conventional timbers including a top plate, studding extending from said top plate to said bottom plate and secured thereto, two of said studs being spaced apart to provide a wall opening there-between, jamb studs secured to the adjacent faces of said two studs, a lintel bearing against the upper ends of said jamb studs and extending parallel to said top plate, cripples extending from said lintel to said top plate and positioned with the center lines thereof in line with the inner faces of said jamb studs, wall boards applied to said studding on one face of said section and on opposite sides of said opening, said wall boards each presenting a straight edge extending from said bottom plate to said top plate and located substantially flush with the inner face of one of said jamb studs and upon the center line of one of said cripples and a piece of wall board extending from the lintel to the top plate and having the ends thereof located substantially on the center lines of said cripples.

3. A prefabricated building section comprising framing formed of conventional timbers including a top plate, studding extending from said top plate to said bottom plate and secured thereto, two of said studs being spaced apart to provide a wall opening there-between, jamb studs secured to the adjacent faces of said two studs, a lintel bearing against the upper ends of said jamb studs and extending parallel to said top plate, cripples extending from said lintel to said top plate and positioned with the center lines thereof in line with the inner faces of said jamb studs, wall boards applied to said studding on one face of said section and on opposite sides of said opening, said wall boards each presenting a straight edge extending from said bottom plate to said top plate and located substantially flush with the inner face of one of said jamb studs and upon the center line of one of said cripples and a piece of wall board extending from the lintel to the top plate and having the ends thereof located substantially on the center lines of said cripples, the opposite face of said section having a single sheet of wall board applied to said studding and extending about said opening with the edges of said wall board adjacent said opening located substantially flushwith the inner faces of said jamb studs.

FRANCIS VAUX WILSON, JR. JOHN W. GERMOND. 

